SpaceX launch roundup: Starlink missions, Starship progress and Louisiana spaceport plans

SpaceX has a full plate as July turns into August, with fresh Falcon 9 Starlink launches out of California, new Starship test milestones, a notable business development and early plans for a new coastal launch site.

Spaceflight Now reports that SpaceX launched 24 Starlink satellites aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base late on July 31. Space.com also covered the California-based Starlink mission, publishing photos of the Falcon 9 as it lifted off with the broadband satellites. The twin reports point to SpaceX continuing its steady cadence of Starlink deployments from the West Coast.

On the Starship front, Tesla Oracle says SpaceX is now preparing to attempt a Starship catch during Flight 14, a step that follows Flight 13's Ship 40 landing precisely. Space.com has also released new videos showing SpaceX's Starship landing at sea, giving viewers a close-up look at the vehicle's return.

Away from the launch pad, TheStreet reports that SpaceX turned heads ahead of earnings with a new mega deal, though the headline does not disclose the terms or the counterparty. Meanwhile, NOLA.com says the company is drawing up plans for a rocket-launching spaceport along the Louisiana coast, a project that could expand SpaceX's geographic footprint for launch operations.

For those tracking upcoming activity, Florida Today maintains a running SpaceX and NASA rocket launch schedule in Florida, a reminder that the company's presence along the Space Coast remains busy. In broader industry news, space.com reports that a rocket issue has delayed the first orbital rocket launch from the United Kingdom, a separate setback from the European launch sector.

Taken together, the headlines show SpaceX moving on several fronts at once: expanding its Starlink constellation with regular Falcon 9 flights, advancing Starship toward more ambitious recovery tests, pursuing new commercial agreements and scouting new launch sites. The activity underscores why launch watchers are keeping a close eye on both California and Florida schedules, as well as the company's longer-term infrastructure plans in Louisiana.